Cai Rang Floating Market Festival opens in Can Tho

The first Cai Rang Floating Market Festival is taking place in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho from July 7-9, with numerous activities to mark Vietnam Tourism Day (July 9), said Nguyen Hoang On, Director of the Can Tho Centre for Tourism Development.

An exhibition at the festival

The event, expected to be organised annually, presents opportunities for the locality to boast the beauty of its people and culture to international and domestic tourists, On said.

On July 9, the city will hold a ceremony to receive a certificate recognising the Cai Rang Floating Market as a national intangible cultural heritage.

A model of the Cai Rang floating market was opened at the Culture and Tourism Village of Vietnamese ethnic groups in Dong Mo, Hanoi in November last year, he said, adding a VND 63billion-project has been developed to preserve and upgrade the market.

The Cai Rang Floating Market first appeared 100 years ago, becoming a destination for agricultural products in the Mekong Delta region.

Apart from selling fruit and vegetables from Can Tho, it also offers special agricultural products from neighbouring provinces.

The region's food, specialties and handicraft products are brought to the market as well.

The market is open every day from 4am to 9pm, and attracts nearly 300 boats. During festivals and holidays, up to 500 boats visit the 1 km-long floating market.

It brings in 500-700 local and foreign tourists each day.

(Source: NDO)